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Monday, January 16, 2012

Why is Dr. King dream more like a Black American nightmare?

Martin Luther King Jr. was an outspoken advocate for the poor and less
fortunate. At the time of his death, he was organizing a cross-racial Poor
People’s Campaign that raised many issues still important today. Many
Americans—particularly communities of color and young people—continue to lack
access to economic opportunities and this must be addressed if we are to truly
carry on Dr. King’s work.

This by-the-numbers piece takes a look at how many Americans are still
struggling to find a way out of poverty, find employment, and gain both health
care and education not only for themselves but for their families.

We will only realize Dr. King’s vision when every American has the chance to
find a well-paying job, get health care when they get sick, and receive a
quality education. The numbers below show much work remains.

To start fixing this problem, it’s important that we grow the country’s
number of low-skill jobs, so that those in poverty can begin to find a way out.
We also need to maintain a solid safety net for those who can’t work, such as
the elderly and the disabled.

Unemployment

December’s unemployment numbers were lower than they’ve been since February
2009, but many people are still struggling to find work, including minorities,
young adults, and those without a high school diploma. Long-term unemployment
also still remains a major problem.

13.8: Percentage of unemployed people who didn’t graduate high
school.

According to Christian E. Weller, an associate professor of economics at the
University of Massachusetts-Boston and a CAP Senior Fellow, long-term
unemployment continues
to affect many Americans:

42.5:
Percentage of people unemployed for at least 27 weeks in December of 2011.

40.8: Average number of weeks unemployment lasted that month. This is higher
than the December 2010 average of 34.2 weeks.

Weller says that in order to fight “[t]hese persistent and long-running
weaknesses” we must give “continued policy attention with extended
unemployment-insurance benefits, support for states and localities to maintain
employment in education, health care, and other critical services, and
infrastructure investment to buttress the blooming recovery in construction and
manufacturing.”

Health care

Many Americans are also struggling to get health care—the most basic of
needs. 49.1 million
people under 65 didn’t have insurance in 2010.

41: Percentage of those under 65 in poverty without insurance.

22: Percentage of blacks under 65 without insurance.

32: Percentage of Hispanics under 65 without insurance.

14: Percentage of whites under 65 without insurance.

The Affordable Care Act, the health reform legislation signed into law by
President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, can help these people get the coverage
they need:

32
million: Number of people who will gain insurance under the Affordable Care
Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.

66
million: Number of people who could be insured under Medicaid by 2019. Under
the Affordable Care Act, it’s anticipated that Medicaid will expand in
2014.

Education

As many of these same groups fight against poverty, unemployment, and finding
affordable health care, they also struggle to attain a college degree and the
chance to move up the economic ladder.

20.6:
Percentage of African Americans, in March 2009, with at least a bachelor’s
degree.

14: Percentage of Hispanics.

31.9: Percentage of whites.

20
percent less: Amount earned by African Americans with bachelor’s degrees
versus whites with the same amount of education.

63:
Percentage of all jobs in the next 10 years that will require at least some
postsecondary education.

22: Percentage of African Americans attending for-profit colleges. These
colleges lead to more debt and lower post-graduation earnings, as well as less
chance of finding a job for students who have no prior experience with higher
education.

For-profit school students are also more likely to default on their
loans:

20: Percentage who default on loans below $25,000.

12: Percentage of community college students who default on loans.

4: Percentage of nonprofit and four-year public school students who default
on loans.

Congress should ensure that all students have access to quality, affordable
college options by:

Using competitive grants to encourage the development of lower-cost college
options

Increasing access to free, online courseware

Rewarding low-income students who persist through the first year of college
with additional funding for internships or other work-study experiences